Kip Jones

KIP JONES, an American by birth, has been studying and working in the UK for more than 19 years. Under the umbrella term of 'arts-based research', his main efforts have involved developing tools from the arts and humanities for use by social scientists in research and its impact on a wider public or a Perfomative Social Science.

Jones is Reader in Performative Social Science and Director of the Centre for Qualitative Researchat Bournemouth University. Kip has produced films and written many articles for academic journals and authored chapters for books on topics such as masculinity, ageing and rurality, and older LGBT citizens. His ground-breaking use of qualitative methods, including biography and auto-ethnography, and the use of tools from the arts in social science research and dissemination are well-known.

Jones acted as Author and Executive Producer of the award-winning short film, RUFUS STONE, funded by Research Councils UK. The film is now available for free viewing on the Internet and has been viewed by more than 13,000 people in 150 countries.

Areas of expertise• Close relationships, culture and ethnicity• Social psychology, sociology• Ageing, self and identity• Interpersonal processes, personality, individual differences, social networks, prejudice and stereotyping• Sexuality and sexual orientation• Creativity and the use of the arts in Social Science

Media experienceHis work has been reported widely in the media, including:BBC Radio 4,BBC TV news,Times Higher Education, Sunday New York Times, International Herald-Tribune and The Independent.

Thursday, 18 September 2014

“The things that I want to communicate are simply self-evident, emotional things. And the gifts of those things are that they bring both intellectual and emotional gifts — understanding”. Jeff Buckley, singer (Interview with Luisa Cortado, 1995)

The difficulty encountered for academics wishing to write creatively is that we are programmed to repeat (endlessly) what we've read to establish “validity”.

Scholars realising the soundness of their emotional connectivity need to find their own language to express feeling—a new language not simply justified by the idiom preceding them.

Can we move on?My thinking around the concept of Neo Emotivism began to solidify recently, brought on by two things: a short descriptive phrase about Max Richter's music and an ARTS in Research workshop at Bournemouth University. Allow me to elaborate.

When I read that Max Richter’s minimalist composition for the TV series, The Leftovers, was tagged as ‘Neo-Romantic’ in a promo, I was startled. “Neo-Romantic? How is minimalist music romantic?” And then I started to realise that it is the same emotional response that I have to Richter’s music that I have to Chopin or Mendelssohn.

“What is ‘Romanticism’ in music composition?” I wondered. ‘Characteristics often attributed to Romanticism … are:

a new preoccupation with
and surrender to Nature

a fascination with the
past…

a turn towards the mystic
and supernatural…

a longing for the infinite

mysterious connotations of
remoteness, the unusual and fabulous, the strange and surprising

These qualities resonate with the characteristics we might look for in Neo Emotivism. There! A checklist.

Can we move on?The penny began to drop when the Bournemouth University ARTS in Research collaborative met up recently for those two days of experimentation. I am familiar with health and social care academics having a proclivity towards sensitivity to the often-emotional stories of others gleaned through their investigative encounters. What surprised and encouraged me were faculty and students from Media, Design, Engineering and Computing and Tourism with the same ache to connect emotionally with their subjects and to acknowledge the “first person” in their dialogues.

Perhaps we should look for inspiration to the New Romantics of the late 1970s, with their shoulder pads and quiffed hair? Ziggie Stardust and synthpop? There is a sweet nostalgia often present in my informal biographic encounters with fellow academics, wistful for the days of David Bowie and Kate Bush. Their recollections are often about how we used to be before we were led to believe that we needed to behave (differently). It’s life pre-RAE and REF—the “preREFaelites”, to coin a phrase. It is often reminiscence about a time in our shared lives of both emotional conflict and emotional connect.

Indeed, scholars often find their own narratives in the stories that people tell them for their research. A big part of Neo Emotivism is embracing this phenomenon instead of backing away from it. The relationships that can be established through such connections are potent and comprised of more than the sum of their parts.

Changing hearts and minds was central to my reasons for making the short film RUFUS STONE and I have written about this elsewhere. I realised quite early in the research process for the film that debate, argument, or evidence—none of these by itself was going to change the opinions of some of the hardheaded bigots in our midst. Should we attempt an emotional appeal, even attempt to provoke an emotive disturbance? Would we then have a chance at changing hearts and minds?

I recently watched a BBC 4 programme with architect Zada Hadid in which she explained how her work has roots in an art movement that is 100 years old. She has long cited the Russian abstract artist Kazimir Malevich as one of her greatest inspirations. Her experience offers a clue to the very way in which arts-based researchers might explore outside their own turf to enrich their present efforts. Hadid found her inspiration from painting in another era, not by simply replicating what was au courant at the moment in her chosen field of architecture. If we continue to only imitate what has directly preceded us in our creative academic endeavours, we will never produce the forward movements in scholarship necessary for change and innovation. As a student, Hadid bravely embraced Malevich as inspiration and flew with it. Actually, much of her architecture today looks like it is floating or flying. Studying Malevich opened up vast possibilities for her creative explorations and still influences the way in which she works today.

The early waves of renewed interest in qualitative and narrative approaches (or the qualitative and narrative “turns” in research as they were called in the early 1990s) established protocols, procedures, and a language that, by now, are repeated habitually. Perhaps it time now to look elsewhere, (to culture, to the arts, to literature, etc. both past and present), to find fresh inspiration and vocabulary to support our new emotive efforts. For example, I often recommend that academics read the contemporary fiction of conceptual novelists such as Michael Kimball in order to unleash creativity and a new, uncluttered way of using language in their academic writing. Should we continue to routinely repeat what are by now shop-worn words in our academic out-pourings such as ‘rigour’, ‘robust’, ‘thick’, ‘embodied’ and ‘evocative’ to support (or deny?) our emotive tendencies? Most of those words have been repeated ad infinitum for more than 20 years now, degenerating into no more than code words signalling membership in a particular scholarly community. They have become words without force.

Can we move on?The first step in reporting emotive encounters in research, therefore, is moving away from concepts that have evolved from measurement—terms like ‘empathic validity’, 'reliability', etc. Rejecting the use of statistical language to describe the emotional components of our labours is key to communicating an understanding of the How’s and Why’s of the human condition. The second step is to find our own individual language (a descriptive and poetic one?) that does not mimic the status quo language of a specific scholarship simply because of our insecurities or longing to fit in with a particular club or movement.

Acknowledging the emotive connections in our work doesn’t mean simply producing wishy-washy, touchy-feely texts either. In fact, Neo Emotivism insists upon tougher, more resilient, profoundly compassionate yet hard-hitting, productions. This is accomplished through the creative use of language—textural/visual/physical—or some new mode of communication that we haven’t even attempted yet.

Anemotional response by a scholar need notbe validated like a parking ticket.

Feelings aren’t the same as facts. As Jeff Buckley said, ‘The gifts of those things are that they bring both intellectual and emotional gifts — understanding.’

Sunday, 7 September 2014

The newly formed ARTS in Research Collaborative recently held two days of
exploration of biography and ways and means of expressing the stories of others
creatively and ethically. The workshop was entitled, “A Past/A Present”
ARTS in Research (AiR) Workshop.

Using shared objects representing a
time or event in each participant’s life, a ‘partner’ then created a five
minute presentation of and from the storied materials. Participants in the
two-days of exploration came from HSC,
the Media School and DEC. Both faculty and postgrad students
took part.

The brief was kept simple and
instruction to a minimum. Organiser Kip Jones shared examples from his own work
of finding ways and means of responding creatively to detailed data as well as
time and material constraints. Other than that, participants engaged in a
learning process through participation itself and the sharing of their
experiences.

“Thank
you all for the incredible willingness to be inventive, creative and
think/be outside ‘the box’”.

“An
illuminating two days of deep sharing. I was honoured to be there and look
forward to more creative adventures together”.

“Inspiring.
An artful and generative suspension of ‘normal’ activity”.

Telling stories

The ARTS in Research Collaborative’s
next workshop is planned for November at The
Lighthouse in Poole. Details to follow. It will be open to a wider audience
and there will be a charge to attend.

“I can’t remember ever attending such an inspiring event ‘in house’”.

The newly formed ARTS in Research Collaborative
recently held two days of exploration of biography and ways and means of
expressing the stories of others creatively and ethically. The workshop
was entitled, “A Past/A Present” ARTS in Research (AiR) Workshop.
Using shared objects representing a time or event in each
participant’s life, a ‘partner’ then created a five minute presentation
of and from the storied materials. Participants in the two-days of
exploration came from HSC, the Media School and DEC. Both faculty and postgrad students took part.
The brief was kept simple and instruction to a minimum. Organiser Kip
Jones shared examples from his own work of finding ways and means of
responding creatively to detailed data as well as time and material
constraints. Other than that, participants engaged in a learning process
through participation itself and the sharing of their experiences. The
group has agreed to write up the encounter for a journal article.

“Thank you all for the incredible willingness to be inventive, creative and think/be outside ‘the box’”.

“An illuminating two days of deep sharing. I was honoured to be there and look forward to more creative adventures together”.

“Inspiring. An artful and generative suspension of ‘normal’ activity”.

The ARTS in Research Collaborative’s next workshop is planned for November at The Lighthouse in Poole.
Details to follow. It will be open to a wider audience and there will
be a charge to attend, but BU faculty and students are encouraged to
apply for training and/or development funding within their Schools.

- See more at:
http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/2014/09/07/arts-in-research-air-collaborative-two-days-of-creative-scholarship/#sthash.BZJnmzp9.dpuf

“I can’t remember ever attending such an inspiring event ‘in house’”.

The newly formed ARTS in Research Collaborative
recently held two days of exploration of biography and ways and means of
expressing the stories of others creatively and ethically. The workshop
was entitled, “A Past/A Present” ARTS in Research (AiR) Workshop.
Using shared objects representing a time or event in each
participant’s life, a ‘partner’ then created a five minute presentation
of and from the storied materials. Participants in the two-days of
exploration came from HSC, the Media School and DEC. Both faculty and postgrad students took part.
The brief was kept simple and instruction to a minimum. Organiser Kip
Jones shared examples from his own work of finding ways and means of
responding creatively to detailed data as well as time and material
constraints. Other than that, participants engaged in a learning process
through participation itself and the sharing of their experiences. The
group has agreed to write up the encounter for a journal article.

“Thank you all for the incredible willingness to be inventive, creative and think/be outside ‘the box’”.

“An illuminating two days of deep sharing. I was honoured to be there and look forward to more creative adventures together”.

“Inspiring. An artful and generative suspension of ‘normal’ activity”.

The ARTS in Research Collaborative’s next workshop is planned for November at The Lighthouse in Poole.
Details to follow. It will be open to a wider audience and there will
be a charge to attend, but BU faculty and students are encouraged to
apply for training and/or development funding within their Schools.

- See more at:
http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/2014/09/07/arts-in-research-air-collaborative-two-days-of-creative-scholarship/#sthash.BZJnmzp9.dpuf

“I can’t remember ever attending such an inspiring event ‘in house’”.

The newly formed ARTS in Research Collaborative
recently held two days of exploration of biography and ways and means of
expressing the stories of others creatively and ethically. The workshop
was entitled, “A Past/A Present” ARTS in Research (AiR) Workshop.
Using shared objects representing a time or event in each
participant’s life, a ‘partner’ then created a five minute presentation
of and from the storied materials. Participants in the two-days of
exploration came from HSC, the Media School and DEC. Both faculty and postgrad students took part.
The brief was kept simple and instruction to a minimum. Organiser Kip
Jones shared examples from his own work of finding ways and means of
responding creatively to detailed data as well as time and material
constraints. Other than that, participants engaged in a learning process
through participation itself and the sharing of their experiences. The
group has agreed to write up the encounter for a journal article.

“Thank you all for the incredible willingness to be inventive, creative and think/be outside ‘the box’”.

“An illuminating two days of deep sharing. I was honoured to be there and look forward to more creative adventures together”.

“Inspiring. An artful and generative suspension of ‘normal’ activity”.

The ARTS in Research Collaborative’s next workshop is planned for November at The Lighthouse in Poole.
Details to follow. It will be open to a wider audience and there will
be a charge to attend, but BU faculty and students are encouraged to
apply for training and/or development funding within their Schools.

- See more at:
http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/2014/09/07/arts-in-research-air-collaborative-two-days-of-creative-scholarship/#sthash.BZJnmzp9.dpuf

“I can’t remember ever attending such an inspiring event ‘in house’”.

The newly formed ARTS in Research Collaborative
recently held two days of exploration of biography and ways and means of
expressing the stories of others creatively and ethically. The workshop
was entitled, “A Past/A Present” ARTS in Research (AiR) Workshop.
Using shared objects representing a time or event in each
participant’s life, a ‘partner’ then created a five minute presentation
of and from the storied materials. Participants in the two-days of
exploration came from HSC, the Media School and DEC. Both faculty and postgrad students took part.
The brief was kept simple and instruction to a minimum. Organiser Kip
Jones shared examples from his own work of finding ways and means of
responding creatively to detailed data as well as time and material
constraints. Other than that, participants engaged in a learning process
through participation itself and the sharing of their experiences. The
group has agreed to write up the encounter for a journal article.

“Thank you all for the incredible willingness to be inventive, creative and think/be outside ‘the box’”.

“An illuminating two days of deep sharing. I was honoured to be there and look forward to more creative adventures together”.

“Inspiring. An artful and generative suspension of ‘normal’ activity”.

The ARTS in Research Collaborative’s next workshop is planned for November at The Lighthouse in Poole.
Details to follow. It will be open to a wider audience and there will
be a charge to attend, but BU faculty and students are encouraged to
apply for training and/or development funding within their Schools.

- See more at:
http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/2014/09/07/arts-in-research-air-collaborative-two-days-of-creative-scholarship/#sthash.BZJnmzp9.dpuf

“I can’t remember ever attending such an inspiring event ‘in house’”.

The newly formed ARTS in Research Collaborative
recently held two days of exploration of biography and ways and means of
expressing the stories of others creatively and ethically. The workshop
was entitled, “A Past/A Present” ARTS in Research (AiR) Workshop.
Using shared objects representing a time or event in each
participant’s life, a ‘partner’ then created a five minute presentation
of and from the storied materials. Participants in the two-days of
exploration came from HSC, the Media School and DEC. Both faculty and postgrad students took part.
The brief was kept simple and instruction to a minimum. Organiser Kip
Jones shared examples from his own work of finding ways and means of
responding creatively to detailed data as well as time and material
constraints. Other than that, participants engaged in a learning process
through participation itself and the sharing of their experiences. The
group has agreed to write up the encounter for a journal article.

“Thank you all for the incredible willingness to be inventive, creative and think/be outside ‘the box’”.

“An illuminating two days of deep sharing. I was honoured to be there and look forward to more creative adventures together”.

“Inspiring. An artful and generative suspension of ‘normal’ activity”.

The ARTS in Research Collaborative’s next workshop is planned for November at The Lighthouse in Poole.
Details to follow. It will be open to a wider audience and there will
be a charge to attend, but BU faculty and students are encouraged to
apply for training and/or development funding within their Schools.

'Kip Jones brings the genre of what he calls performative social sciences forward with wide-ranging theoretical, academic, and artistic products in a various media that takes up how social scientists can use art for investigation and dissemination.'

About Me

I am an expert in biographic narrative intperpretive method and performative social science.

My greatest strength is my ability to get people involved—even excited—about the possibilities of creative human interactions, knowledge-sharing and the potential of qualitative social science endeavours.

An American by birth, I have been studying and working in the UK for the past 15 years and travelling throughout Europe to learn and engage. Part of my work has involved developing tools from the arts and humanities for use by social scientists in dissemination of qualitative data.

Recognition

What they say at JISC:Kip’s blog, ‘KIPWORLD’, covers a wide range of topics from advice on writing a PhD thesis to insight into his creative process. He regularly uses his blog, Facebook and Twitter to share his research (with) others. Kip also contributes to the LSE Impact blog, LSE Review of Books, Discover Society, Sociological Imagination, Creative Quarter, The Creativity Post and the Bournemouth University Research Blog.

Creative Commons

Watch RUFUS STONE now!

Watch award-winning, research-based short biopic, RUFUS STONE live on the Internet.
“This film is as good as most Oscar-nominated shorts, and vastly superior to many. In my opinion, it is just about as good as a short film gets.” –Patricia Leavy, The Qualitative Report
Nominated for the AHRC Anniversary Prize for Research in Film, the Jury remarked:'Beautifully made, lyrical and moving and packs a complete narrative arc into its short span.'

5 Minutes with Kip Jones

Kip Jones at LSE Literary Fest

Kip Jones was a member of the panel at the LSE Review of Books hosted event as part of the 5th LSE Space for Thought Literary Festival, entitled, "Beyond the Book: new forms of academic communication". Kip spoke on “Performative Social Science: What it is and how it started” then joined the panel for a lively Q&A session. A podcast of the event is now available.